


Negotiations in Nutritional Science

by miniaturedragonfly



Series: Advanced Culinary Arts [6]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s05e05 Geothermal Escapism, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miniaturedragonfly/pseuds/miniaturedragonfly
Summary: Shirley's worried that Abed isn't eating enough now that Troy's gone, so she brings him some protein bars she baked herself.
Relationships: Shirley Bennet & Abed Nadir
Series: Advanced Culinary Arts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011546
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Negotiations in Nutritional Science

Shirley knocked three times on the door of apartment 303—formerly known as Casa Trobed, then Casa Trobedison ("for conceptual continuity", Abed had said), and now just… Abed and Annie’s apartment. She knew Annie was out at the mall with Britta, which would normally have bothered her, but today she was glad the girls had a habit of hanging out together, just the two of them. This seemed like the sort of errand that should be carried out quietly, without an audience.

Abed took so long to come to the door that Shirley almost left, thinking he’d gone off to have a little side adventure without telling anybody, but just as she was about to turn around, she heard footsteps approaching the door. She lifted her chin and settled a smile onto her face.

When Abed opened the door, he said “Shirley!” with a ghost of a smile that made her heart ache. She resisted the urge to gather him up in her arms, because she knew Abed didn’t really like to be hugged— _except by Troy_ , a morose little voice in her head reminded her—and instead lifted up the two-gallon plastic container she’d brought with her.

“Do you want to come inside?” Abed asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Shirley ignored her sneaking suspicion that he was only being polite, that he would rather take the container from her hands and send her on her way, and nodded. Abed stepped to the side to allow her into the apartment.

She made her way to the kitchen, Abed trailing a few steps behind after locking the door, and hefted the container onto the kitchen counter. She breathed a small sigh of relief to have it out of her hands—it was _heavy_ , stacked to the brim with homemade protein bars.

She had invented the recipes herself by modifying recipes she found online so that they tasted (and felt) just like the things she knew Abed liked: sweet breakfast cereals, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter brownies. They had more sugar and not as many nutrients or whole grains as she would have liked, but desperate times called for desperate measures: Shirley hadn’t seen Abed eat a meal since Troy left over a month ago.

Moreover, Annie had quietly confided in Shirley that all Abed would eat at home was buttered noodles, to the point that Rachel had started refusing to eat dinner in the apartment (though Annie had added, without elaborating, that there could have been other reasons for that), and Annie was pretty sure he was skipping food entirely some days.

Britta, separately, had mentioned that Abed didn’t always have his headphones plugged in while they were on his head, and that her “professional” opinion was that he might be using them as a tactic to escape the concerns of the group. Jeff, for his part, had been suggesting group lunches at local restaurants much more often than usual, generally accompanied by the explanation that he’d unearthed a gift certificate or coupon that was approaching its expiration date. Abed mostly declined the invitations, gesturing vaguely to his laptop and muttering something so full of film jargon that even Shirley could tell it was nonsense, and when he _did_ attend he just spent the whole time picking at whatever he'd ordered until it was time to go.

All things considered, she’d consider it a success if she could just get some calories into his skinny little body.

Prying the lid off of the container, Shirley began to explain its contents to Abed. “I separated the different flavors with parchment paper, so they don’t get mixed up. Each section is labeled, so you know what you’re reaching for and there are no surprises. There should be enough here for you to eat one for breakfast every day for the rest of the semester, plus some extras.”

Abed wouldn’t meet her eyes, but he thanked her.

Shirley pressed further, picking up one of the bars. “Try this one, it’s made with Lucky Charms,” she said, holding it out. He took it from her.

Abed stared at the bar for a few moments, then slowly lifted it to his lips. He took a bite from the corner, chewed, swallowed, managed a smile.

“They’ll freeze nicely if you want them to last longer. You can lift them out with the parchment paper, see,” she showed him, “and put them in a separate container on the counter so they’re not too cold when you want to eat them.” She pulled a second, smaller container out of her purse and transferred the top layer of protein bars into it, then set that container on the countertop between the kitchen and living room. Then she opened the freezer, which was mostly full, but Abed helped her rearrange it until the large container could fit.

Shirley kept an eye on Abed as they worked side by side. He held the protein bar in his hand the whole time, but didn’t take another bite, so when the bars were safely stowed in the freezer, she readied herself for the next part of her plan.

“Would you like to watch a movie together since I’m here?” she asked sweetly.

Abed looked like he would rather Shirley leave him alone, but Shirley had made up her mind not to leave until he finished eating the protein bar in his hand. He seemed to know that was her plan, because he took another tiny bite before answering.

“Did you have something in mind?” he replied when it became clear that she wasn’t going to leave just because he’d taken another bite.

Shirley thought of suggesting that they watch something awful, so they could make fun of it, but she decided that expecting Abed to talk and make jokes and eat all at the same time might be a little much, so instead she suggested that they watch something happy together. “No Cenobites,” she cautioned, and a smile flickered across Abed’s face at the callback. “Unless you _want_ to watch one of the _Hellraisers_ ,” she added tentatively.

Abed stared into space for a second, considering, then darted to the DVD shelf. For a moment, Shirley thought he might be choosing something sinful to watch, something to punish her for interrupting his quiet Saturday afternoon, but when he found what he was looking for and held it up, she grinned. _Ghostbusters_ was a perfect choice: action-filled enough that they wouldn’t have to talk, but full of things for Abed to explain to her if he felt like it.

They watched the whole movie, mostly in silence except for Abed pointing out a few particularly cool special effects. There were a couple moments where he glanced over at Shirley, sitting in what used to be Troy’s armchair, as if he expected Troy to be there, but she graciously pretended not to notice. Every few minutes, Abed took another tiny bite of the protein bar in his hand. He finished it as the movie ended, and Shirley sat patiently as Abed watched the credits respectfully, reverently. When the last name scrolled off the screen, she stood up to leave, her work here finished.

Well, almost done. Before driving home, she sent a quick text message.

 **Shirley Bennett (4:12pm):** Dropped off some protein bars, they’re in your freezer. You’re welcome to them but I brought them for Abed.

 **Annie Edison (4:14pm):** Thanks

 **Annie Edison (4:16pm):** <3

Shirley dropped her phone back into her purse, confident that Annie understood. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel and drove herself home.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series in which Shirley bakes something for each member of the Save Greendale Committee during the latter half of season 5.


End file.
